Tag Archives: race

Remi Joseph Salisbury and Penny Wangari-Jones from the Racial Justice Network take stock:

2017 has been an eventful year. From the election of Donald Trump to the continued fallout of the Brexit vote, we are ever reminded of the importance of anti-racist work. These events have had profound implications for Black and Brown communities generally, and the Racial Justice Network particularly.

However, the adversities of this year have only strengthened our resolve to resist. This year has seen ever increasing numbers of people join our network and attend our events. As more and more of us awaken to the deep racial inequity that patterns our society, our network is growing and strengthening.

2017 saw us hold a very successful campaign training course. This course has enabled a highly passionate and motivated group of Black and Brown people to learn from one another in a supportive environment. With the UK government committed to making Britain an increasingly hostile environment, we are proud of the welcoming spaces we have been able to create. These spaces have empowered the Racial Justice Network, and we hope that the Racial Justice Network has empowered our members and friends. We know that the network we have built is already fighting for social change and will continue to strengthen into 2018 and beyond.

Whilst the government have conducted tokenistic race audits with very little tangible action, and the ‘Lammy review’ has shied away from a diagnosis of institutional racism, we remain firm in our understanding of structural and institutional forms of racism.

We are not naive about the levels of racism and intolerance in contemporary society. The recent threat of deportation facing one of our members, members living in G4S accommodation, and yet other members facing racial inequality in employment, have been a few reminders of how cruel this system can be. However, the widespread shows of solidarity gives us strength and hope.

We have linked, spoken and facilitated training with Leeds Tidal, WOW bradford, Collective Liberation Project, People of Global Majority, The monitoring group, Red Pepper, Equality Forum, Take Back Control, Bridges not Walls and many more, and we hope to continue working collaboratively in the year ahead.

As we continue to highlight, race matters when addressing oppressions and struggles (current and historical), we look towards building connections with others who understand and see the need for intersectionality in building solidarities and power.

We are confident in the movement we are building, and we know yet more will join in 2018. As we continue to grow, learn and resist, we record this not as the year of Trump and Brexit, but a year of Planning and Resisting.

Earlier this year the government urged universities to reduce the ‘drop-out’ rates of Black students. With Black students 50% more likely to drop out than their peers, the universities minister Jo Johnson argued that “there needs to be much greater … read more

Chris Johnson speaks to the West Yorkshire Racial Justice Network telling us the story of an African migrant and how she – despite all the odds – makes a positive contribution to life in Britain.
read more

Ethnic diversity is a fact of British life. Of the 56 million people who live in England and Wales, around 8 million, or 14%, consider themselves as belonging to an ethnic minority group. London is one of the world’s most … read more

A new PhD on the rise and fall of race equality in New Labour’s Britain. The research demonstrates how modern multiculture has fractured Black political identity and anti-racist activity, and calls on race equality organisers to engage with the new politics of racism, discrimination and ethnic identification in order to build a new counter-politics for equality. read more

Ever since the tragedy of losing their son, the Lawrence family have been working tirelessly to save other families from having to go through an ordeal similar to theirs. Their efforts prompted changes in policing, forensic science, the law, employment and community relations, and also left many campaign groups across the country feeling very inspired – including West Yorkshire’s Racial Justice Network who have been campaigning for greater Police Commissioner accountability. read more

People from black and minority ethnic backgrounds account for more than half of those strip-searched by the Metropolitan Police in the past three years, according to “extremely alarming” figures collected by the force. read more

A government study shows that less than a fifth of allegations of racially or religiously motivated crime are now investigated, and less than a third of these result in court proceedings, let alone convictions. read more